A Cardano block is a collection of transactions that are grouped together and verified as a unit. It's similar to a page in a ledger. Each block contains a hash, which is a unique cryptographic code that identifies the block and its contents. Once a block is created, it's added to the blockchain, which is a public, distributed database. This process is known as block production. The creation of new blocks is carried out by staking pools, which are groups of individuals who contribute their ADA to secure the network. Blocks play a crucial role in the Cardano network by recording transactions, ensuring security, and providing a historical record.
Block 8557628 Details
Epoch: 401 Number of transactions in block: 22 slot_no: 88080871 epoch_slot_no: 212071 block_no: 8557451 slot_leader_id: 4614591 size: 41445 time: 2023-03-24 08:39:22 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x468f2ec32a0674178b097931a022fe652874174a6dce25a501c8d8c38369917bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lnjfdgme34cun04rzmng683dq8u37wpu20ygrc0vz2fkun7jjmrsdaa3dx op_cert: \x20a474bd666ee061b3da2af05774bc62ee33cd5e64791444f26c2200d3384848 op_cert_counter: 19